Growing Fruit for Local Markets – Part I

Farmers markets, produce stands and specialty food stores are springing up all over north Florida providing a great opportunity for small producers to cash in on locally grown fruit crops. The demand is there, but not the product so now’s the time to get started! Many fruits are suited to small scale production and are fairly sustainable over time. With careful planning, you can have a steady stream of crops available for a good portion of the year. As with all smaller farming operations, select crops which are harvested and sold at different times to even out monthly cash flow. For example, the ripening dates of several fruit crops are as follows: southern highbush blueberries (April to May), rabbiteye blueberries (May to July), blackberries (June to July), Asian pears (July to September), muscadine grapes (August to September), figs (July to October), Oriental persimmon (September to November), cold hardy satsuma and kumquat (November to December). This allows you to generate income on a monthly basis if possible, but at least quarterly to assure farm survival. Times are tough with rising production costs such as energy, fertilizer, and labor to name a few, so you need to make enough money to pay monthly bills. None of the above crops are totally maintenance free, but most can be grown successfully with minimal care. Now that we have your mouth watering, let’s talk about the pros and cons of those above.  My information of fruit crops for North Florida was provided by Fruit Crop Specialist Dr. Pete Andersen with IFAS of the University of Florida.

There are two kinds of blueberries we can grow in north Florida- southern highbush and rabbiteye blueberries. Blueberries are shallow rooted, large shrubs preferring a well drained, acid soil. A production system using pine bark culture increases soil organic matter, lowers soil pH and facilitates weed control. Many new cultivars produce large, incredibly sweet fruit starting in late spring. Rabbiteye blueberries are much easier to grow than southern highbush blueberries. They are more vigorous, have less exacting soil requirements and have less pest problems than southern highbush blueberries. Rabbiteye blueberries are also less prone to frost injury because they flower later than southern highbush blueberries.

Blackberries are easy to grow and many cultivars are adapted to north Florida. Most available cultivars have a semi erect upright growth habit. Most cultivars produce canes that grow one year (primocane) and flower the next season (floricane). Removal of (floricanes) fruiting canes is necessary after fruit production. Flowering (March) and fruiting (June) occurs over a long time. Weed control is probably the greatest limitation to blackberry production.

For more detailed production information, contact the Extension Office in your county or go online for more on “Sustainability Assessment of Fruit and Nut Crops in North Florida and North Central Florida” is http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HS765